Anyone who lives their life by the pen—liquid eyeliner pen, that is—knows that it’s imperative to get all of it off at the end of the day before you go to sleep, lest you wake up looking like a raccoon the next morning. The key to this is usually double cleansing, first with a makeup wipe, an oil cleanser, or a micellar water, which is what I do, then followed up by a regular cleanser. While I usually double cleanse when I do a cat-eye, even if the liner is easy to take off, it’s especially crucial if I’m wearing mascara along with it.
That being said, it’s not always easy. If I’m sleepy, the last thing I want to do is take off my makeup. I just wanna sleep! I do admit that I have taken shortcuts in the past (read: haphazardly using a makeup wipe) which is much better than keeping it on and falling asleep (yes, I have done that and I’m not proud of it!). However, now that I’m 40 with rapidly decreasing collagen yet still prone to acne breakouts (RUDE!), I try to be as thorough as possible with my cleansing. Still, I figured that if there was a decent, time-saving alternative, I’d welcome it with my arms wide open. And then I found it: Manyo Factory’s Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam ($20).
Manyo is a brand that’s personally new to me, but it’s been popular in Korea for years. It’s known for having highly effective products made with natural and organic ingredients and sustainable packaging. While the brand has other more popular cleansers, such as its Pure Cleansing Oil ($29), the Cleansing Soda Foam stood out to me for a myriad of reasons pertaining to ingredients, which I’ll get to, but there was one major highlight from the jump. It gets all my makeup off—the eyeliner, mascara, primer, matte foundation, blush, and liquid lipstick—in one swoop. Yup, I don’t have to double cleanse. Hallelujah!
When I first tried the cleanser, I noticed that the consistency was almost like a clay mask, but once I applied it to my damp face, it foamed up quickly. I was pleasantly shocked at how fast it removed my liquid lipstick, which can be pretty stubborn. The formula is also slightly grainy, so there’s somewhat of an exfoliating feel, but not a lot. And the fragrance is perfectly refreshing, with a light citrusy scent, due to the presence of orange peel. I was able to tell that all of my eye makeup easily came off, but I wanted to see how it did with my foundation, so I followed up my initial cleanse with a cotton pad and micellar water. It was blank! No residue whatsoever. Wild.
So what makes this cleanser so powerful that it can take off everything without backup? It contains eight types of natural powders, including baking soda, and jeju green tea powder, which because of their small molecular size, cleanses deep into the pores. Not only is that great for my makeup, but it’s also beneficial for my large pores and combination/oily skin. Not to mention, the baking soda helps balance pH levels, another helpful perk that I love. Green tea, a powerful antioxidant, and potent anti-inflammatory ingredient helps remove impurities in addition to chamomile which helps speed up cell rejuvenation and tighten pores.
I do have to mention that there is one lipstick that is resistant against the powerful Cleansing Soda Foam, and that’s NYX Professional Makeup’s Shine Loud Vegan High Shine Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick ($12), which went viral on TikTok earlier this year. I’m not surprised. This is the one lipstick that I’ve found that is TRULY mask-proof, and even my trusted micellar water (Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O $15) won’t work with it.
Instead, It requires an oil cleanser, so a Manyo’s Pure Cleansing Oil ($29) with a cotton pad or a Take My Face Off Makeup Mitty ($14) would work perfectly.
I also use Beauty Bakerie’s Lip Whip Remover ($14) or Kopari Coconut Melt Wipes ($20) to remove it. But I don’t mind. Overall, I’m super impressed by the Cleansing Soda Foam. It gets me into bed faster so I can marathon You and fall asleep without having to worry about the ghost of last night’s eye makeup in the morning.
